Speaking

“JAC is a skilled, knowledgeable, and talented teacher who gets complex ideas across to a broad audience with warmth and a terrific sense of humor. Please do yourself a great big favor and bring this high-fashion genderqueer wonder to you as soon as you possibly can.”

– Kate Bornstein

JAC Stringer has been working as a community organizer, activist educator, and group facilitator for over ten years. He has a Masters in Social Work with a specialty in trans and queer community building, radical activism, group work, and counseling. He has been invited across the USA for his educational presentations, skill building workshops, professional trainings, keynote lectures, and more.

His academic background in Psychology, Gender & Sexuality Studies, and Social Work have made him an asset to classrooms for high school, undergraduate, and graduate level students and his workplace trainings are requested by a diverse range of professionals in human service, education, faith communities, and business. As a educator, JAC’s deepest passion lies in teaching people, especially youth and young adults, empowering tools to change their environments through activism, education, and social justice.

Lecture-Style Presentations and Workshops:

JAC is well known for his accessible and flexible teaching style that he tailors to diverse audiences. Each presentation is different because every community is different. JAC seeks to make each visit relevant and useful in order to support unique needs.

See below for some of JAC’s most popular presentations as well as information on how you can request a presentation or workshop specific to your event or community needs.

Trans 101 (beginner or intermediate)

Sorting out the mass of labels and theories that surround gender, specializing in how it relates to trans, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming (umbrella) communities. This presentation covers how gender relates to identities, sexuality, and society through a discussion of cultural influences on how and why we think about gender and in what ways it translates to everyone’s lives, including transgender, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming communities.

Inclusive LGBTQPIA Organizing (beginner, intermediate, or advanced)

Different people may need different things, be it because of economic class, race, ability, age, identity, or ability, but all of us need to feel respected and included. This workshop discusses how to create inclusive spaces in our organizations and schools, break down possible obstacles, and offer a Q&A for specific concerns.

Working for Inclusive Trans Campus Policies (intermediate or advanced)

This workshop discusses what issues trans people may face on a college campus, what policies are required to address their needs, and what tools can be used to make trans inclusive policy change a reality. Included in the session are opportunities for college organizers to discuss their own work to create a campus that is safe and accessible for all students.

“You look like a Freak…” Gender and Societal Recognition(intermediate or advanced)

Evaluating the cultural concept of normalcy and how it impacts members of trans and queer communities. This workshop evaluates historical trauma and systems of oppression in relation to trans and queer identities, who enforces the rules of legitimacy, why we feel we have to follow them, and how we can break them.

Genderqueer, trans, and gender non-conforming identities create new spaces for sexual desire. By discussing identity differences, partnering dynamics, sexology, and cultural influences this workshop discusses how attraction may be negotiated in trans and genderqueer communities, both for trans(*) people and their cis partners.

More than Make-Up; The Art of Drag (beginner, intermediate, or advanced)

Interactive lecture discussing a drag as we know it today; the history the gender performance, the culture surrounding it, conflicts and oppression within communities, where the community is now and what the future may hold. By request; optional drag “how-to” tips Q&A for feminine, masculine, and genderfuck performance styles.

The Power of TRANS-Formance: Trans Identities on Stage (intermediate or advanced)

Discussion of Gender Identity Disorder and its influences and affects on the gender non-conforming community as well as discussing the history and future of genderqueerness in medical institutions.

Who Counts? Inclusion and Allyship in Trans Communities Membership (intermediate or advanced)

As language and identities change, our communities must change with them. This workshop works to crack open the question of “who counts” in queer and trans communities, what identities are included, where friends, family and partners fit, and how we can promote inclusive, responsible community building where everyone has a place to call home. (This workshop may be oriented towards the greater LGBTPQIA community OR specifically for trans communities).

Femme Masculinities (intermediate or advanced discussion group)

As trans* concepts of gender normalcy begin to bend, many trans* identified male/masculine people are feeling more able to reclaim femininity. Femininity within the trans* male/masculine spectrum is not a new experience, however, especially within recent years, visibility and prominence is on the rise.

Professional training session for educators and service providers to increase their cultural competency when working with transgender and gender variant populations.

“Make your Own” Topic Areas:

JAC provides sessions that involve the whys and hows of trans organizing, community building, discussing identities, and creating educational foundations. If you have specific needs or issues to address, a custom session is great for brainstorming strategies, gathering resources, creating an action plan, and learning how to put that plan into action. If your community is looking for a specific conversation, let JAC know!